The Price of Freedom
by MichaellaLoe
Summary: Takes place right after Push. What I hated the most was how much damage was caused, and we weren’t even halfway there. I thought when we had retrieved the Division’s stupid needle we’d be on our way to freedom. I was wrong. Nick/Cassie-ish.


Hello!

This is my first Push fanfiction. I'm pretty excited, not gonna lie. It takes place right after the movie basically. I'm aware that whatever occurs in this story would probably never happen in an actual sequel to the movie, but hey... That's why its called fanfiction.  
I realize that there's a few things I need to fix writing style (example: the large words in Cassie's POV isn't very likely, and I need to describe surroundings and settings more.. I've always sucked at that) but I really wanted to post and hopefully I'll get better along the way :)

**This chapter has now been edited because... well it was pretty bad before. I did a POV switch in the middle and I missed a lot of "shes." All taken care of now. Plus spellcheck failed me... not cool!**

_Italics_ - Thinking  
**Bold** - Flashback(As it says)  
Normal - POV: Cassie

Disclaimer: I do not own Push or any of it's characters. I hope you enjoy!!

* * *

What I hated the most was how much damage was caused, and we weren't even halfway there. I thought when we had retrieved the Division's stupid needle, we'd be on our way to freedom. I thought going up was our only option. It seemed like the more likely something were to happen, it turned out bad. Twice as bad.

**Flashback**

**I felt secure answering Nick's question. _We'd see her soon._ Whether or not I was happy to say we'd see her soon was another matter that Nick didn't need to know about. I saw it. The three of us walking down the street; Nick and Kira holding hands. **

**We got a taxi and sat quietly in the backseat. I turned to look at Nick who smiled tiredly back at me then turned away. "Hey," I said, extending my arm to slap his gently and regain his attention. "I'm glad you made it out alive and stuff." Nick looked at me with bewilderment then broke into a laugh. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it.**

**"I'm glad you're okay too." He let go of my hand quickly, much to my dismay, and looked out the window. Minutes later, the driver pulled up at our hotel. I took out a wad of bills and handed them to the driver. Upon arriving at the hotel, sleep came quick to me, but it didn't last long. **

**I Saw Kira Pushing Carver then getting off the plane surrounded by people. Then I Saw something that I hoped I'd never have to tell Nick.**

**"Cassie! Cassie, wake up!" I jolted up with Nick hovering over me. "How long until Kira lands?"**

**Nick's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "A little less than an hour. Why?"**

**I shot out of the bed and started gathering my stuff. "We need to go to Emily now." Nick watched in confusion as I ran around the room. "What did you See?" I ignored his questioned. He grabbed my arm to stop me from fleeing through the door. "Cassie, what did you See?"**

**"Now. We need to go now if we have any hope of changing it."**

**"Change what, Cassie? What did you See?" he yelled in frustration. "I saw Kira die. Okay? We need to go now." I ripped my arm out of his grasp and hurried out the door. He followed. **

**"You saw Kira? Kira's going to die? No. Cassie, this is probably just one of those visions that doesn't make sense. You said you've gotten things wrong before."**

**I whipped around to face him. "Nick, this was perfectly clear. I saw it. And this wasn't just flashes of tigers when I saw my death. It was like I was there as it happened."**

**Nick shook his head. "That's can't be right."**

**"Nick! I Saw Carver shoot him self, Kira get off the plane, people take a blood sample, then finish her off. Now, I don't know about you, but I would like to at least try and change it," I said as I marched to the front of the hotel, calling a taxi. Nick continued to follow after me.**

**"She can't die," he said to himself. "Get in the taxi, Nick. We don't have time for this," I shouted. **

**(-)**

**"What's going on?"**

**I pushed past Emily and entered the room. "Cassie says she Saw Kira's death. After she gets off the plane," Nick filled in with a new evident worry as he followed after me. **

**"And you came to me, why?"**

**"You're a Sniff. Wouldn't you be able to tell if the thing you are Sniffing is dead or dying?" I inquired and sat down. Emily looked at Nick with confusion. "Yes," she sat down at her table. "I probably could." She retrieved the bead she used previously to find Kira. She picked it up and inhaled its scent.**

**"She's still on the plane. Carver…is.. he's dead. The pilot said twenty minutes until landing."**

**Nick sighed in relief. "Okay, now what?"**

**"I saw her death after she got off the plane," I reminded. Nick marched up to me and said, "Well how are we supposed to change it when she's halfway across the world? Knowing the future can change it, right?"**

**I stood up, staring up at him. "It _can_ change it; doesn't mean it will. How many times do I have to tell you that? Besides, how are we supposed to tell her?" Nick glared back down at me. "Yell really loud?" I asked sarcastically.**

**Nick, in order to avoid snapping, walked away from me. "She never got a phone, did she? Why is it that _you_ have a phone, yet she doesn't? She's the one they're after. She's the one that may die."**

**My jaw dropped in shock. I grabbed my phone and threw it at Nick's back. "Tell that to Pop Girl's gun that was inches from my face earlier." I marched off to the kitchen, past Nick, and muttered to myself, "I need alcohol."**

**"What? Hell no. You're not intoxicating yourself; I don't have time to deal with that again," Nick said while blocking my path. "Again? You did nothing to 'deal with it' last time. And at least I'm trying to help solve the problem here." I marched past him and opened the fridge. **

**"Cassie! Stop it right now," Nick yelled.**

**I pulled my head out of the fridge, now holding a bottle of vodka. "You need to calm down."**

**"They're about to reach the city," Emily called from the main room. Nick exited the kitchen leaving me alone. I grabbed a clear glass and filled it halfway up. I returned to the main room. "They're about to land?"**

**"In a few minutes, yes." I looked down at the drink in my hand. I took a deep breath in. I raised the glass to my lips and gulped down a half of its content. I squinted at the burning sensation sliding down my throat and started coughing. Nick stood up and walked over to me. "I told you not to do this."**

**I coughed once more to fully clear my throat. "I'm fine." I raised my empty hand to my head. Kira stood outside the plane with her hands in the air. A man came up behind her and stealthily inserted a needle into her neck. Another man blind folded her. It flashed seconds ahead as three of the men shot her down.**

**I gasped, pulling myself out of the reverie. I looked at Nick with wild despair then turned to Emily. "They're approaching the runway." Nick looked from Emily to me. "What? What did you See?"**

**I downed the rest of the alcohol. After shoving the empty glass into Nick's hands, I raised both hands to my head in focus. Silence filled the room. Nick looked back to Emily. "You don't think it will happen, do you?"**

**Emily sighed and sniffed the bead again. "The plane just landed." I groaned as I pressed my hands against my head harder. "Cassie, what do you see?"**

**"It- it's just black. I don't see anything," she spoke slowly. "What do you mean you don't see anything? Are you saying she's- Does that mean… Kira's dead?"**

**"She's getting off the plane," Emily said quietly. She raised the bead to her nose again. "Wait," I stopped her. She squeezed her eyes shut, eyebrows furrowing. Minutes passed silently. Nick looked around frantically. "Cassie, we need to do something."**

**"Check now." Emily nodded and Sniffed the bead. "They're surrounding her. There's a needle. It looks like its filled wi-"**

**"Blood," I supplied. "Blue blindfold?" **

**Emily nodded. "Wait! They're walking away. Except three of them. I think they're- Oh my god!" She set the bead down abruptly and took slow deep breaths. Emily looked up at Cassie with a knowing expression. They both looked at Nick expectantly. He let the glass fall out of his hand and ran out of the building.**

**End flashback**

I looked towards the door, though I knew it wouldn't be opening anytime soon. I got off the bed and set my bag down on the floor. It had been hours since Nick ran off. To relieve my worry, I paced around the room, stopping to stare either out the window or into the mirror. The lingering effects of the vodka made it extraordinarily hard to focus on any one thing. _Maybe I should just sit. _I pressed my back against the nearest wall, right beside the window, and slid down until I was sitting on the floor. I closed my eyes, but forced them open. _At least check and make sure he's okay. _I wearily put my hands to my head and focused as best as I could. I Saw Nick wandering around still. A sense of lightheadedness over took me, and I tipped over to the side and passed out.

In the morning, my stomach burned like it was filled with a deadly acid. Sitting up, I groaned at the pain I felt everywhere. I looked around the room finding no one else there. "Damn it, Nick," I muttered under my breath. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. As I walked towards the door, I passed my sketchbook. It was sprawled open with a picture of a girl, X's for eyes, a dark, filled needle in the corner, and a gun pointed at her head. I slammed it shut and shoved it in my bag.

-

I walked through the busy crowds, drawing madly. If I was going to waste a day, I figured I could at least try and make an effort in finding Nick. I stopped in the fish market and looked around. I sat down at a table by myself and examined my drawing. It was similar to the previous one; a dead girl, needle, and a gun. _What's going on with me? Why am I drawing this if it already happened?_

A man started yelling at me in another language I couldn't understand. I pointed to something on the menu without really thinking. He started making food, leaving me to my drawing. I raised my hand to my head and was instantly pulled into a vision. Nick walking down the street, Nick gambling, Nick rummaging through his apartment. The man set a bowl down in front of me, breaking my vision. I took out a pair of chopsticks and ate, deep in thought. I contemplated going to Nick's apartment; I wouldn't stay long, just check and make sure he's okay. When I finished eating, I quickly shoved my sketchbook into my bag, dropped some money on the table, and took off. It took me longer than I thought it would to get to his place; I walked at a slow pace and made a wrong turn. The elevator doors dinged, and I stepped out along with a rather old man. I counted the doors, pivoting when I had reached Nick's. I raised my hand to knock but left it mid air. I sighed and let my arm drop the side. I reached into my bag and picked up my phone. _We don't need to talk. I just need to make sure he's okay. _I went through my past calls and found Nick's; I dialed. It rang 4 times then went to voicemail. I hung up and redialed. It took three redials before he finally picked up.

"What?" It was on the borderline of a yell and a wail. I sighed before hanging up the phone and walked away.

-

It was dark before I got back to the empty hotel room with no sign of anyone else having been there. I sat down on the chair and pulled out the cased syringe. I stared at what would be the key to my mother's freedom, something I had been awaiting for years. I returned it to my bag and sprawled out onto the bed, quickly surrendering to sleep.

There gun shots, three men with a cased needle, me screaming.

My eyes flew open instantly; I was overcome with realization. I rolled off the bed and grabbed my bag. After double checking that the needle was still there, I shoved it back in my bag, pulled out my gun and my phone, and hid the bag in one of the pillow cases. I dialed Nick's apartment in my left hand, gun in the right. The door flew open; I raised my gun at the intruders. The man, whom I'd never seen before until my vision, held a gun out with two guys behind him. "Ah, so you Saw this already? Then I'm guessing you know how this ends then?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Agent Parker, Carver's replacement since, well, I'm sure you know _exactly_ what happened to him. You were the one who planned that, right? You and your dead mover friend," the man said. I had forgotten that they thought Nick was dead. "But enough chit chat." He raised his other hand and Moved the gun out of my hand. He flicked his hand again, and I screamed as I suddenly flew into the wall, creating a massive dent.

"You know what I need. Where is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I fibbed. He raised his gun and shot only a few inches above my head, causing me to scream again.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to lie? At least, before she got caught by the Division, that is." I remained silent, hurt by his chord-striking comment. He shot again only this time it was wide to the right.

"Where is it?" he yelled. When I didn't reply, he raised the gun again directly at my face. "Okay! Okay, I'll get it." I secretly grabbed my phone and headed to the bathroom. As I walked in, my back turned to the man, I dialed Nick's again. I set it on the counter and slammed the bathroom door shut and quickly locked it. _This is not going to help at all!_

"Little bitch," the man yelled and shot two rounds through the door, one shattering the fiberglass from the shower. It created a sharp rain that pooled around me. Nick's answering machine picked up as Parker fired another bullet. He kicked the door in and I screamed in terror. Gun pointed at my face, I spilled. "Okay, okay, okay. No more bullshitting. I promise. I swear. I'll give it to you." He moved out of the way allowing me to pass. I crawled over towards the bed and saw one of the other men digging through my bag; I stopped moving. He pulled out the cased syringe and said, "Got it, boss." Agent Parker pushed me to the ground then squatted to my level.

"There's a moral behind all this, little girl. You should do what you're told. Had you been the one to hand over the syringe, I may have let you live. But, that's what happens when you're a pain in the ass." He stood up and aimed at me.

"Cassie!" _Nick._

One shot rang out; the agent with the syringe fell to the ground. Nick began firing again at Agent Parker with his gun in the air. I backed away from Parker and watched at the other Agent retrieve the syringe and lurk outside the door frame. "Shit."

I looked at the crossfire between Nick and Parker. Instead of trying to get past it, I crawled under the bed, making my way to the other side. When I got past the bed, I stood up and was about to take after the other agent until I heard Nick yell my name again. He quickly got himself in front of me, almost knocking me over, and started deflecting bullets; I stood there in amazement. "Take the syringe and go, Andrew," Parker yelled as he shot the last of his bullets. When he ran out, he started Moving objects towards Nick, who fought them off easily. I took off through the door after the man with the syringe. "Cassie, no!"

I stopped and watched the man run down the hall, quickly vanishing from sight. I turned back to the fight going on in our room and saw a vase fly past Nick and through the door, crashing into the wall a short distance from where I stood. Nick suddenly went flying through the door as well, back colliding into the wall. Parker stepped forward and lurked over Nick. He outstretched his arm towards me and Move me forward and then his hand wrapped around my throat.

"Let her go," Nick warned. His grip tightened and my breathing was instantly cut off. I, in utter desperation, raised my knee and kneed him in the groin. _Oh, how creative.._

He doubled over in pain, releasing his hold on me. Nick Moved me forward into the hotel roughly causing me to tumble over myself and fall onto the floor. The door slammed shut and a symphony of bangs and thuds occurred. I forced myself to stand and looked for something to use as a weapon.

An idea randomly came to me; I ran to the bathroom grabbed a large piece of broken fiberglass. _That'll do, I think._ I carefully wrapped a small towel around one end to protect my hand.

The door fell down with Parker on top of it. Nick Moved him so that he was standing once again. They began punching each other without really _hitting each other…? Damn._

Nick hit the wall; Parker raised his arm to punch Nick in the face. I ran up to him and dug the fiberglass into his back. He gasped and then screamed in agony. Nick grabbed a fistful of his suit and turned himself and Parker around, pushing him against the wall. The piece of glass stuck out through his chest. He slowly crumpled to the ground and was silenced.

Nick and I remained still, trying to catch our breath. In the silence, I examined every bit of the room that had been destroyed. I could see shreds of a light bulb at my feet. Nick suddenly whipped around and stared me down. I struggled to tell whether he was angry or sad or worried. Or maybe even all of them jumbled into one expression. He broke the stillness by rushing over to me, grabbing my arm, and pulling me into himself. We remain silent in the embrace until he asked, "You okay?"

I held onto him tightly and nodded. "I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." He backed away and examined my face. "You're sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. Just a little… shocked. Can we just get out of here?" Nick nodded and picked up my bag for me. "What do we do about him?"

Nick dragged the body out of the hallway and into the room. "We're just lucky this is a shitty hotel that no one comes to." In the midst of the little bit of hell we just went through, I still managed to laugh a little. "You got everything you need?" I nodded, quickly grabbed my sketchbook, and caught up to him. He threw his arm around me and we walked down the hall of the hotel with a strange sense of déjà vu clouding over me.

-

We opened the door of the hotel room. _Here's hoping it's better than the last one._ It was vibrant and lively. There was an arm chair, a T.V., dresser, a night stand. _Oh shit._

Nick and I both examined the one bed in the room. "Uh.. I'll take the floor," Nick said.

"No. You should have the bed."

He walked into the room and started grabbing extra pillows and blankets. "No, really. I'm perfectly fine with the floor."

"No," I responded.

"Cassie, stop being stubborn. You're the ch-" He broke off; I glared at him with pure anger. I hated when he called me a child. Or kid. "You're the…_younger_ one," he said with much effort.

"And you're the oldest," I said back to him; I set my bag down on the top of the dresser. "Cassie," he warned.

"Or we could share. I mean…" I prayed to god what I was about to say would come out right. "Let's face it. We've both had a long day."

He froze suddenly. I didn't need to see him to sense the terror he felt; he tensed up. "Cassie, no."

I walked over to him with frustration. "What's your deal? You know what? Fine. I'm not sleeping _anywhere _until you're sleeping on the bed." I sat down in the arm chair, lifted one leg over the other and crossed my arms.

"Well then it looks like you won't be sleeping at all," he said as he set his stuff up. I growled slightly. "Stop being such a child," I told him.

He snapped his head towards me. "Cassie, you're the child here. You're thirteen."

I stood up; my lack of height only emphasized his point. "I know how old I am. I can do the math!" The subliminals within our conversation was suddenly apparent to me, and I was sure he was aware of it to. After he marched around for minutes in the process of getting ready for bed, he flicked off the lights, sending me into pure darkness; I sat back down in the chair. _This has _got_ to be a guy thing…_

Silence was slowly becoming our trend because nearly an hour passed – dead silence.

"Cassie, do you know how terrifying it is to hear a message of a man threatening you, a gun shot, and you screaming?" His voice was soft and weak.

I took a deep breath in and replied, "Do you know how terrifying it is to think you wouldn't get there in time?" I could hear him sitting up. He remained still for a moment, then laid back down. "I didn't think I would either. I thought I was already too late."

I stood up off the chair and slowly walked over to where his makeshift bed was. He raised his head a little; he watched me as I lazily approached him. I stood beside him and stared down. Without thinking, I sat down and slowly unfolded so I was lying right beside him, head on his chest. He held his breath and tensed again. Half of me asked myself what the hell I was doing; the other half was in pure ecstasy. The word was basically pouring off him: _Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong._

_Stupid age gap._

"Cassie…"

I cut him off before he could add anything else, "You'll always have my back, right?" He slowly exhaled, relaxing into my presence. "Always, Cass." He renounced his stubbornness and lightly curled his arm around me. _There will be hell to pay from him tomorrow… Oh well._ "They have the syringe now. What's going to happen to my mom?"

His chest raised in a sigh, taking my head with it, then slowly sank back down. "We'll find another way, Cassie. We will."

I smiled in hope with a tear unconsciously sliding down my face. I tried to think of any possible alternatives. The sudden failure of my mother's plan came crashing down me. Years and years of planning and loss wasted because of me and stupidity. And my inability to See. I silently cried, letting the tears burn the skin on my face until I finally fell asleep.

* * *

Well? Yes? No? Maybe. The ending was rough. I'm not really satisfied with it, but I wrote this chapter, then redid the entire thing RIGHT before I posted it so I just gave up. I really wanted to post it.

Reviews would be worth more than gold! I love writing and I want to be better at it, so feedback would really benefit me. I'm trying to keep things A) Realistic and B) Justifiable which is something I fail to do in any other stories I've tried writing. So, if there's something that doesn't make sense or seems stupid, I would love it if you could point that out(Note: I have no Beta so if you catch typos those are good to inform me of too). I'm in the process of trying to fill any open gaps which is why it may take a while to update.

Again this is my first Push story. And..more or less my first non AU story so I'm trying here.

**MichaellaLoe**


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